America, We Need To Talk About ‘Dixie’

Though the song didn’t have its origins in the actual Confederacy, it became an anthem of that attempt to break away from the United States. But eventually, long after the Civil War ended with the Union winning and slavery coming to a legal end, “Dixie” became a marching band staple … and that got weird. – NPR

Hastings Pier Won The Prestigious Stirling Prize In 2017, But Now It’s Closed For ‘Improvements’ That Are Sparking A Social Media War

So this is going well: “Hastings residents accuse [owner Sheikh Abid] Gulzar of cheapening the listed Victorian structure with plans for an amusement arcade and the installation of gold-painted fibreglass animals, including an elk, a bison and a baby hippopotamus.” – The Guardian (UK)

Vinyl Sales Grew By Leaps And Bounds In 2018 – And So Did Cassettes

Wait, cassette tapes? Yes (driven, as movie fans could guess, by Guardians of the Galaxy compilations). “Vinyl sales grew by just shy of 12 percent from 8.6 to 9.7 million sales, while cassette sales grew by almost 19 percent from 99,400 to 118,200 copies sold in the US.” But CD sales were in freefall, making physical media take another dip. – The Verge

The Architecture Research That Is Changing, And Charging Up, Human Rights

Research architecture is the name for an organized movement of investigative journalists, AI experts, archaeologists, lawyers, and others who are engaged in “the politics of space, especially how it is manipulated by states and corporations against civilians and the environment – from drone strikes in Pakistan to mining in the Amazon.” – The Guardian (UK)